Your Thoughts on Three Card Poker

I made a trip to a couple of "local" casinos recently. "Local" is relative because it is about a 3 hour drive to the nearest full casino from our house (there is a slots only joint that is twenty minutes closer). The distance makes it a "trip" each time...it isn't something you just decide to do without considering 6 hours in the car. Anyway, I had some time and some slot free play, so I headed out.

I won over $100 on $30 free play at the first place. I'm not a slot player normally, but free play is free play (my wife earns it when we go to the casino and she usually plays it, too). I also played craps there for a bit, but it wasn't going too well so I left while I was still ahead. On to the next place which is another 45 minutes up the road. With $75 in free play, I won another $100 or so dollars. Slotting was pretty good to me.

I played my normal craps session--$400 buy-in, risk up to $200 betting 6/8 and/or pass/come w/ 2x odds ($5 table) but nothing good was happening. I decided I needed another table game to play. I'm not much of a blackjack player and I usually only play on tables that are empty when I get there lest I get screamed at by some great blackjack player for taking his card. that just pisses me off!! Anyway, i settled on 3 card poker.

The session went really well. I turned a $100 buy-in into over $500 over a couple of hours. I don't think my chip stack ever went below $50 and it was as high as $600 at one point. I keep the stacks neatly in front of me and I always know what I have on hand. I hit a three of a kind about an hour in that really put me on the winning side (again, $5 table).

A little later, I looked at my cards and had a really nice hand. The dealer qualified. I was last to reveal my cards. The dealer played them a bit slower than normal as he came around the table--or maybe it was because I wanted everyone to see what I had seen. When he got to me, he looked over as I picked them up and said "you have a straight flush, don't you?" and I flipped them over. He had seen my cards reflected in my glasses and he warned me against holding my head a certain way if I was to play poker.

After that nice payoff, the cards didn't go so well and I colored up before I lost too much of the winnings.

The reason I opened this thread is to get some of your thoughts on three card poker--do you play, what strategy to you use, do you like the game, etc. I need a game to play when I am not playing craps and I'm thinking this might be one to try more often. It isn't because I won--I've lost by buy-in more times than I've won, but it seems to be a game where you can play a while on a $100 and there is a chance of decent wins.

I also play Baccarat and Mississippi Stud but the limits are often high on the former (and very crowded tables) and the low-limit table on the latter is usually full.

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3CP is my favorite carnival game to deal. As far as playing it, I'd say if you hit something decent color up and leave, it probably won't happen for you again anytime soon. I dealt it last night and I gave out trips once and a straight flush once, along with a few straights and flushes here and there. I believe the straight flush ended up paying out a little over $500 and the trips was in the $300 range (both players were playing the Pairs Plus), but in that same time I easily took in 4-5x that amount as player losses. I don't know the HE's off hand but I think it's a better game than Mississippi Stud for both dealer and player.

I've had some phenomenal 3CP luck, and some astounding sessions. I've hit 3 of a kind on back to back hands, I've sat down and hit a straight flush on the first hand, I've said, "Last hand" and hit a royal flush, I've hit 3 of a kind and a straight flush in the same session. Most of the time, in fact all of the time, I was betting quarters.

All that being said, I don't play 3CP any more because too often you can sit down and lose everything in half an hour. For every great story of big wins, and I have a lot of them, I have a dozen stories I don't tell, when I got card salad, when I lost $500 and my best playable hand was K-Q-8 unsuited or some such. That kind of streakiness just isn't any fun any more. Maybe I can't tolerate the losses like I used to, I don't know.

Quote: MonkeyMonkey

3CP is my favorite carnival game to deal. As far as playing it, I'd say if you hit something decent color up and leave, it probably won't happen for you again anytime soon. I dealt it last night and I gave out trips once and a straight flush once, along with a few straights and flushes here and there. I believe the straight flush ended up paying out a little over $500 and the trips was in the $300 range (both players were playing the Pairs Plus), but in that same time I easily took in 4-5x that amount as player losses. I don't know the HE's off hand but I think it's a better game than Mississippi Stud for both dealer and player.

I think your strategy of leaving after a decent hit is pretty sound based on my limited experience with 3CP and Miss Stud. Both will suck the win away if you let them, so it is better to just set a loss limit below any amount of chips you have on the table and then stick to it. Those rarer hands just aren't going to come around all that often.

I made that mistake on Miss Stud once--big win of about $500 as I was hitting the last of my $100 buy-in (I will only buy-in once; no re-buys allowed), I had too little money to properly play a nice hand. I added a twenty to finish the bet and then had over $500 in front of me (with the $20 pocketed). I should have limited myself to going down $100 but I ended up thinking I could win big again and playing down to $150 or so. Dumb move; lesson learned.

Quote: Mosca

I've had some phenomenal 3CP luck, and some astounding sessions. I've hit 3 of a kind on back to back hands, I've sat down and hit a straight flush on the first hand, I've said, "Last hand" and hit a royal flush, I've hit 3 of a kind and a straight flush in the same session. Most of the time, in fact all of the time, I was betting quarters.

All that being said, I don't play 3CP any more because too often you can sit down and lose everything in half an hour. For every great story of big wins, and I have a lot of them, I have a dozen stories I don't tell, when I got card salad, when I lost $500 and my best playable hand was K-Q-8 unsuited or some such. That kind of streakiness just isn't any fun any more. Maybe I can't tolerate the losses like I used to, I don't know.

This is why I think I'll play it kind of like a slot machine. We have a standing $20 loss limit per low level slot (quarter or less) and $100 on dollar or higher slots. I'll buy-in one time @ $100 and see what happens. The thing that has happened with these games (and also roulette with the same kind of a $100 strategy and $5 on the 17 plus $1 on several bets) is that they've never hurt me too badly (because of the limited buy-in as compared to bankroll) and they've often put me ahead for the weekend.

Craps is still going to be the game I'll play for hours...the others are just played during breaks from the craps table. If the craps table is going well, I can easily play for 8-10 hours.

Quote: MonkeyMonkey

3CP is my favorite carnival game to deal. As far as playing it, I'd say if you hit something decent color up and leave, it probably won't happen for you again anytime soon. I dealt it last night and I gave out trips once and a straight flush once, along with a few straights and flushes here and there. I believe the straight flush ended up paying out a little over $500 and the trips was in the $300 range (both players were playing the Pairs Plus), but in that same time I easily took in 4-5x that amount as player losses. I don't know the HE's off hand but I think it's a better game than Mississippi Stud for both dealer and player.

Element of risk for Mississippi is 1.37%. House edge is 4.91%. On 3 Card, the house edge for the Pairs Plus bet on the most common pay table (40/30/6/3/1) is about 7.3%, the element of risk is the same because you can't decide to fold or play, it's just a cold bet. Element of risk for the Ante Up bet is 2.01% (house edge of 3.37%).

I like 3 Card Poker. I like it because your hand has no effect on anyone else's hand.

My strategy when I played was that I would bet $10 in ante and $5 in Pair Plus. This way if I had a playable hand and the dealer didn't qualify I would make 5 bucks instead of pushing. I would do this only if I noticed a long spell of non-qualifying hands, otherwise I'd go back to betting $5 on each.

Quote: tsmith

I like 3 Card Poker. I like it because your hand has no effect on anyone else's hand.

My girlfriend loves this game so I reluctantly agreed to play a few hands with her. I only played the ante and play bets since I was abiding by the Wizard's strategy for this game. The third hand I got was AKQ of hearts. When I showed my hand the other players were disgusted because I didn't play the pair plus or the progressive. The pit ruled that since I didn't play the progressive the other players did not get the envy bonus either, even though they had progressive bets out. The other players wouldn't shut up about how stupid I was for not playing those bets so I went back to my lonely video poker. I'll never play 3 card poker again.

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Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Haha, I got the same hand earlier this year and since I don't play either side bet myself, the other players were disgusted they didn't get their $25.

Tell them when you start that they are welcome to play it for you!!

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Players not being impacted by your play was, in my opinion, one of the reasons 3CP was so successful.

Sounds like with the Envy Bonus on the Progressive they have just screwed that up. Way to mess with one of the main reasons people are at the game, all over a lousy $25 Envy Progressive win.

SHFL needs to fix this about this progressive and any others that are going to get people upset with one another for not playing the progressives. Just increase the progressive payouts and get rid of the Envy's, easy fix.

The way I compare "Can I sit down and play for a while with my buy in?" is by looking at the standard deviation of the game.

Craps (Pass/Come) has a 1.00 SD, 3CP Ante/Play has 1.64 and the Pair Plus is 2.91. I think Mississippi Stud was mentioned somewhere and it is off the charts at an SD of 9.84...definitely a "hit and run" type game.

What has been interesting is that the higher SD games with lower Elements of Risk have been the most successful recently. Ultimate Texas Hold'em has an SD of 4.94 and an EOR of 0.526%.....Crazy 4 Poker has a 3.13 SD and a 1.09% EOR....those are two of the recent real successes in new table games.

Quote: Paradigm

Players not being impacted by your play was, in my opinion, one of the reasons 3CP was so successful.

Sounds like with the Envy Bonus on the Progressive they have just screwed that up. Way to mess with one of the main reasons people are at the game, all over a lousy $25 Envy Progressive win.

SHFL needs to fix this about this progressive and any others that are going to get people upset with one another for not playing the progressives. Just increase the progressive payouts and get rid of the Envy's, easy fix.

To clarify, this is how you win an envy bonus on Three Card Poker Progressive:

1. Make the progressive wager.
2. Any other player at the table is dealt AKQ suited.

--Roger

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Quote: Ibeatyouraces

At some casinos, if a player does not make the progressive bet and gets AKQ suited, the others do NOT get the envy bonus.

Which casinos?

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Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Motorcity in Detroit for sure. I know because I was dealt AKQ hearts a few months ago without a progressive bet and the four other players didnt get the envy. Very well could have been a supervisor error too. I will ask one today and see what they say.

Please let me know.

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Quote: Pacman

To clarify, this is how you win an envy bonus on Three Card Poker Progressive:

1. Make the progressive wager.
2. Any other player at the table is dealt AKQ suited.

--Roger

With that rule being followed, SHFL/Roger has already addressed the issue in my post.....of course.

I stand corrected, thanks Roger for clarification.

You don't win the envy bonus in PA if the AKQ holder didn't play the progressive, according to those I've asked.

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Quote: Pacman

Which casinos?

My experience happened at The Plaza.

It'd be cheap for them not to pay it, one woud think it should be part of the ER on the bet.

Since no one has technically mentioned the correct strategy for the game, I feel compelled. From the Wizard's page on the game:
Make the play wager if you are holding Q-6-4 or better, fold if you are holding Q-6-3 or lower. Doesn't matter what paytable, although the 5/4/1 ante bonus obviously yields a lower house edge.

Pair Plus is actually not that bad under the original pay table (40/30/6/4/1 which yields a 2.32% edge) but you barely see it anymore. Around my neck of the woods, 40/25/6/4/1 is more common, which is a 3.49% house edge. The norm in Vegas these days is 40/30/6/3/1 which is awful, at a 7.28% house edge.

Quote: AcesAndEights

Since no one has technically mentioned the correct strategy for the game, I feel compelled. From the Wizard's page on the game:
Make the play wager if you are holding Q-6-4 or better, fold if you are holding Q-6-3 or lower. Doesn't matter what paytable, although the 5/4/1 ante bonus obviously yields a lower house edge.

Pair Plus is actually not that bad under the original pay table (40/30/6/4/1 which yields a 2.32% edge) but you barely see it anymore. Around my neck of the woods, 40/25/6/4/1 is more common, which is a 3.49% house edge. The norm in Vegas these days is 40/30/6/3/1 which is awful, at a 7.28% house edge.

50/40/30/5/4/1 is the standard in my old stomping grounds in MN. That's also not a bad PP pay-table (about the same HE as your 40/25/6/4/1).

I like 3CP for 2 reasons. 1) It's easy to find a progressive game with a player advantage. 2) it's one of the more common games to be able to gain extra information on, either from sloppy dealers or loud-mouthed players.

The other day I saw a 3cp game where the dealer turns the bottom card face up every hand. The catch is there is no ante bonus. I sat down and played using the Wizard's hole-card strategy. I searched WoO.com and the forums but couldn't find a house edge for this game.

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Quote: rdw4potus

I like 3CP for 2 reasons. 1) It's easy to find a progressive game with a player advantage. 2) it's one of the more common games to be able to gain extra information on, either from sloppy dealers or loud-mouthed players.

Interesting. I have a couple of questions...

How high does the progressive have to be for the player to have an advantage? I never play 3CP (I prefer UTH, as far as "heads up against the dealer" poker games) -- is the pay table on the Wizard's site correct for most Vegas strip casinos?

I'm aware of the correct strategy for a flashing dealer, but how valuable is it to know other players' cards? Presumably, if they have high cards, that's good (less high cards for the dealer to have) but how much does it change the strategy? Is it only for borderline hands (obviously it doesn't take much to change Q64 to Q63) but what do you have to see to play, say, a jack high? Do most casinos actually enforce the rule that you can't share your hole cards? They tend not to for UTH and Mississippi Stud (and it's actually very valuable in Mississippi stud -- discountgambling.net shows that the player has an edge at a full table with all cards exposed)

For AP Play or cheating, (and hole-carding is cheating) - the really important information is on the dealer's hand, and not on the other players' hands, mouths or not. (Of course, if your idea of gambling is to essentially cheat, then one is a lowlife cheat, and every casino dealer knows this to be the case with a large subset of the human population. As a result, Shufflemaster/SHFL has addressed this issue with both their flush-mounted I-deal shuffling machine, and I-table set up.) When I gamble, I use the information that I am supposed to have - not the information that I am not supposed to have. I also practice the same behavior on stock purchases. If I have insider information, I do not touch that stock. But that's how I roll, being a non-criminal on insider information, - be it at the casino table or at the investment office.

Furthermore, many places either place a cut card in the dealer's packet before it is moved to the dealer's position, or even keep the dealer's hand in the machine untouched, until all players PLAY or FOLD.

Anyway, to get back to the "Thoughts on Three Card Poker:"

1. The game of Three Card Poker is perhaps the most elegant and easiest to play/deal of all casinos games. If offers the fullest of poker hands in a simple three-card hand, and is the most popular of all house-banked poker type card games. No poker based game has anywhere near the installs of three card poker - and by a huge margin.

2. The game of Three Card Poker is NOT considered a "carny game." It is considered, and treated as, a full-fledged main-stay primary table game, much like Craps, Pai Gow Poker, and the like. Has been for many years.

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Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Holecarding is not cheating!

Everyone knows this. No need to feed the troll.

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Quote: Paigowdan

For AP Play or cheating, (and hole-carding is cheating) - the really important information is on the dealer's hand, and not on the other players' hands, mouths or not. (Of course, if your idea of gambling is to essentially cheat, then one is a lowlife cheat, and every casino dealer knows this to be the case with a large subset of the human population. As a result, Shufflemaster/SHFL has addressed this issue with both their flush-mounted I-deal shuffling machine, and I-table set up.) When I gamble, I use the information that I am supposed to have - not the information that I am not supposed to have. I also practice the same behavior on stock purchases. If I have insider information, I do not touch that stock. But that's how I roll, being a non-criminal on insider information, - be it at the casino table or at the investment office.

Furthermore, many places either place a cut card in the dealer's packet before it is moved to the dealer's position, or even keep the dealer's hand in the machine untouched, until all players PLAY or FOLD.

Anyway, to get back to the "Thoughts on Three Card Poker:"

1. The game of Three Card Poker is perhaps the most elegant and easiest to play/deal of all casinos games. If offers the fullest of poker hands in a simple three-card hand, and is the most popular of all house-banked poker type card games. No poker based game has anywhere near the installs of three card poker - and by a huge margin.

2. The game of Three Card Poker is NOT considered a "carny game." It is considered, and treated as, a full-fledged main-stay primary table game, much like Craps, Pai Gow Poker, and the like. Has been for many years.

Holecarding is not cheating! The flush mounted shuffler did not help either. I'm laughing all the way to the bank while while betting at it too.

Hole carding IS cheating, - period, end of story.
Dealer Flashing is NOT cheating, and if THAT is what you are referring to, than that is non-criminal, but is different. Still slimy and ethically bankrupt. I do not know if you know the difference between hole carding and dealer flashing - as many don't. But there is a legal difference.
The day has come for many who thought they could "laugh all the way to the bank," only to be 86-ed, or for some, even have a casino fraud arrest record that destroyed professional careers, one of which was a young accounting student from San Diego who tried some "casino shenanigans" for laughs and giggles, and got arrested, booked and fingerprinted by Metro LVPD. Sad story, he'd be lucky to have a job at a Pizza Hut kitchen. I can tell you accounts, and have done so at this board.

Quote: AxiomOfChoice

Interesting. I have a couple of questions...

How high does the progressive have to be for the player to have an advantage? I never play 3CP (I prefer UTH, as far as "heads up against the dealer" poker games) -- is the pay table on the Wizard's site correct for most Vegas strip casinos?

I'm aware of the correct strategy for a flashing dealer, but how valuable is it to know other players' cards? Presumably, if they have high cards, that's good (less high cards for the dealer to have) but how much does it change the strategy? Is it only for borderline hands (obviously it doesn't take much to change Q64 to Q63) but what do you have to see to play, say, a jack high? Do most casinos actually enforce the rule that you can't share your hole cards? They tend not to for UTH and Mississippi Stud (and it's actually very valuable in Mississippi stud -- discountgambling.net shows that the player has an edge at a full table with all cards exposed)

I don't actually have the numbers in front of me, but if I'm remembering right, the progressive bet breaks even at a progressive level of around $9,600. The whole game breaks even at about $13,000 on a progressive + $5 pair plus bet on a 1-4-5 (warning, rare table...) pair plus bet.

Somewhere, I have a spreadsheet on this. I'll find it and see if i can back into more common Vegas conditions like a 1-3-6 PP paytable, and a $10 minimum bet.

Quote: Ibeatyouraces

Its on WoO under California Three Card Poker.

thanks.

Quote: rdw4potus

I don't actually have the numbers in front of me, but if I'm remembering right, the progressive bet breaks even at a progressive level of around $9,600. The whole game breaks even at about $13,000 on a progressive + $5 pair plus bet on a 1-4-5 (warning, rare table...) pair plus bet.

Somewhere, I have a spreadsheet on this. I'll find it and see if i can back into more common Vegas conditions like a 1-3-6 PP paytable, and a $10 minimum bet.

The Three-Card progressive usually averages way below the break-even point, but for many, that does not matter because a $7,000 return on a dollar bet is what defines a good gambling evening return, even if technically negative - and not the "0.93745643 house edge - aha!" when making a bet on a table.
The progressive for 3CP is quick, as the best hand (AKQ of spades) is common enough to keep the progressive somewhat supressed. But it is still a bet I make when I play.

Anyway, to address the gambler's comment of "laughing all the way to the bank," this is the experience of the casino owner, and not of the gambler walked off by security, to include gamblers at this sophisticated board. I've seen too many gamblers detained by security personnel and even walked off to downtown central booking, to agree with that statement.
Play IN a casino - and you're fine.
Play WITH a casino - and you're f*cked, when push comes to shove.

Most jurisdictions have state regulations that spell out how a game is to be dealt.
Most of them mention the dealer protecting the randomness of the game in some way.
Don't recall any that say, looking at the cards as they are dealt and glimpsing information is cheating.
Please point out to me any state regulation that mentions client responsibilities in this regard.
Thanks

Quote: rdw4potus

I don't actually have the numbers in front of me, but if I'm remembering right, the progressive bet breaks even at a progressive level of around $9,600. The whole game breaks even at about $13,000 on a progressive + $5 pair plus bet on a 1-4-5 (warning, rare table...) pair plus bet.

Somewhere, I have a spreadsheet on this. I'll find it and see if i can back into more common Vegas conditions like a 1-3-6 PP paytable, and a $10 minimum bet.

Interesting. As I said, I never play it, but I see it all the time (since it's such a popular game) and I don't think I've ever seen a progressive any higher than the $4-$5k range. Is $10k+ a common occurrence?

If the pair plus is optional, -EV, and unrelated to the jackpot, why would you play it? Why not just play the profitable progressive plus the required minimum ante bet?

Anyway, my interest in this is only theoretical (playing nickel ante bets to get a shot at a +EV progressive that I will probably never hit anyway is not really worth my time, and the nickel bets certainly would not help my comp ratings). On the other hand, if the dealer was flashing, it would add some excitement to an already +EV play.

On my next trip, I plan to try the game, if for no other reason that it's one of the very, very few common casino games that I have never played. Eventually I will even learn how to play Pai Gow (the tile version) :)

Quote: WongBo

Most jurisdictions have state regulations that spell out how a game is to be dealt.
Most of them mention the dealer protecting the randomness of the game in some way.
Don't recall any that say, looking at the cards as they are dealt and glimpsing information is cheating.
Please point out to me any state regulation that mentions client responsibilities in this regards.
Thanks

1. I didn't state any regulations - read the posts. But a dealer error to protect a game sure as hell does not defend a shot-taker getting caught. And YES, WongBo, looking at cards you ain't supposed to look at can get you 86-ed, or even into a pair of hancuffs. It has happened all too many times.
2. And You're welcome, by the way, Wong Bo.

Like I said:

I only see the casino owner laughing all the way to the bank. Kid yourself if you wish.

And I have seen people arrested, to get surprise "life upsets" of a very serious nature, for pulling crap at a casino, thinking they were once slick.

I hear a lot of b*lls]t gambler's braggadocio here at this forum.
But as a REAL casino dealer, I see a lot of people losing their asses, and getting 86-ed or detained, when pulling a stunt. I also see real civilans having a good time for the evening when not putting on "gambling aires."

All I am saying is that the casino is a place of recreation, and not of a place to earn income and brag about it, because the REAL long term winners are the casino owners, and the AP players who are so below the radar they do not even post crap here.

If there are only 22100 possible hands,
How slowly does the progressive have to advance to payout reliably before it reaches positive EV?

You mention hole carding and flashing, but then you say you don't differentiate and go on to imply other serious offenses.
I am saying that the state differentiates those and holecarding and flashing are not the same as chip tricks.

Quote: AxiomOfChoice

Interesting. As I said, I never play it, but I see it all the time (since it's such a popular game) and I don't think I've ever seen a progressive any higher than the $4-$5k range. Is $10k+ a common occurrence?

If the pair plus is optional, -EV, and unrelated to the jackpot, why would you play it? Why not just play the profitable progressive plus the required minimum ante bet?

Anyway, my interest in this is only theoretical (playing nickel ante bets to get a shot at a +EV progressive that I will probably never hit anyway is not really worth my time, and the nickel bets certainly would not help my comp ratings). On the other hand, if the dealer was flashing, it would add some excitement to an already +EV play.

On my next trip, I plan to try the game, if for no other reason that it's one of the very, very few common casino games that I have never played. Eventually I will even learn how to play Pai Gow (the tile version) :)

I would say that in southern nevada there's usually 1 (and probably only 1) 3 card poker progressive that's in the money at some point in a given week. So it's not allll that common, but it's not terribly rare, either. As Dan said, AKQ of spades is a common enough hand.

You have to play some aspect of the base game to be allowed to make the progressive bet. You'll want to make whatever bet causes you to lose the smallest amount on average. Here, with my 1-4-5 pair plus bet, the pair plus costs slightly less than the ante+play bets combined. So I play the pair plus and not the ante. That's not allowed everywhere, and if the pair plus paytable is 1-3-6 I think it's cheaper to just play the ante+play.

Quote: WongBo

You mention hole carding and flashing, but then you say you don't differentiate and go on to imply other serious offenses.
I am saying that the state differentiates those and holecarding and flashing are not the same as chip tricks.

Dealer flashing is a dealer's error, and is not on the player.

But with a dealer who is not flashing, but with a player who is using "more than standard means" to play the game (such as using finger mirrors or tiny electronics to discern information, or even an associate at a prime viewing location who is flashing signals, or a player who is taking extra means to see the hole card), then the player is in deep trouble if caught. That is criminal, and people have gotten arrested for it, (and even taken out to the desert to be buried in the old-school gambling days.)

And of you say "WHO is to decide what is wrong??!!" - Then:
1. It may involve security walking someone off premises.
2. I may involve someone getting detained for an arrest.

Neither scenario is good, and some scenarios come with great life costs, to which I have little sympathy for. Get slick, and get a black eye to varying degrees.

Again, the only two people who win at a casino are:
1. The casino owner and those who get a paycheck, and;
2. Those who go for a simple good time, without getting slick.
All others are eventual losers. And the casino industry banks on this ALL.

Quote: rdw4potus

You have to play some aspect of the base game to be allowed to make the progressive bet. You'll want to make whatever bet causes you to lose the smallest amount on average. Here, with my 1-4-5 pair plus bet, the pair plus costs slightly less than the ante+play bets combined. So I play the pair plus and not the ante. That's not allowed everywhere, and if the pair plus paytable is 1-3-6 I think it's cheaper to just play the ante+play.

Oh, I see. I didn't realize that you were allowed to play pair plus and not the ante. That makes sense, then.

I have a good time and play every game to the best of my human ability, within all the rules
We all know there are people who make money in casinos.
It's one of the best word of mouth advertising campaigns there is.

Quote: rdw4potus

I would say that in southern nevada there's usually 1 (and probably only 1) 3 card poker progressive that's in the money at some point in a given week. So it's not allll that common, but it's not terribly rare, either. As Dan said, AKQ of spades is a common enough hand.

You have to play some aspect of the base game to be allowed to make the progressive bet. You'll want to make whatever bet causes you to lose the smallest amount on average. Here, with my 1-4-5 pair plus bet, the pair plus costs slightly less than the ante+play bets combined. So I play the pair plus and not the ante. That's not allowed everywhere, and if the pair plus paytable is 1-3-6 I think it's cheaper to just play the ante+play.

You play a progressive - ANY progressive - you will still count on the main hand, and the felt bonuses, to carry your gambling session's weight. But you wanna be there for those freak hands, when and if they happen.
*** For a dollar, you'll be ruined otherwise - and you know it!

You nail a progressive - for a dollar it is just gravy! If you don't nail it, the dollar trickle loss is minor, and you CAN STILL recover for some bad "otherwise" sessions anyway.

Two days ago I played EZ Pai Gow at the Cannery after getting off of dealing work at the Fiesta Henderson.
I was betting green, and often getting creamed, but the G3 progressive allows to bet on the DEALER getting a monster hand, much like Baccarat's "bet player or Banker or BOTH!"

I decided to bet $1 a hand on THE DEALER'S HAND GETTING a monster hand, - as things were working out, - and just using the main bet and bonus for my own hands, where I was pretty much getting man-handled and kicked in the groin, and by a very pretty dealer for this action. [Generally, I pay $250 for the hour, and $150 for the half, for that extra action, at a place on Spring Mountain Road..........]. Anyway, and as it turns out, during the session the dealer got TWO straight flushes, and I got 100:1 twice on that, plus a few $4 wins on dealer's full houses. Kept me in the game, - which was only possible by betting the dealer's side progressive. No huge jackpots, but kept me in the game by betting the dark side - and on Pai Gow Poker, no less.

Progressives are a very powerful and successful casino and distributor's tool, to say the least. They keep people in the game to bet more when they win, and to discreetly fleece them when they do not. When well-designed, they work beautifully.

The Progressive for Three-Card poker is somewhat problematic, because the top payout can never reach double digits, no less triple digits, because AKQ of spades in 1 in 22,100, and cannot well-support lower paytable elements. The problem with Three-Card poker is that its original design works too well without the progressive, and with the progressive, it just doesn't add to the hand at all. As a game designer, you really need a four to eight card hand.

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I found a UTH progressive that was 90%+ at a very small casino in Southern Nevada. I really should go back and check on it, 'cause they get heavy play and the meter rise was pretty quick. The top payout is for the regular royal (7 cards) so not terribly hard to get.(1 in 32,000). By the way, this casino is so small the minimum on the game is $2! That hint will probably allow at least one person here to pinpoint the location...

Quote: teddys

I found a UTH progressive that was 90%+ at a very small casino in Southern Nevada. I really should go back and check on it, 'cause they get heavy play and the meter rise was pretty quick. The top payout is for the regular royal (7 cards) so not terribly hard to get.(1 in 32,000). By the way, this casino is so small the minimum on the game is $2! That hint will probably allow at least one person here to pinpoint the location...

Oh, wow. At the MGM (where I usually play) you have to flop the royal for it to count. Any other royal is only 10% of the meter, unless all 5 cards on the board, in which case it's a flat $2000 (I think... not sure of the exact amount)